Tougas-Coyle- Ch. 10 and Epilogue

These two ending chapters really resonated with me. They were a general overview of all that had been talked about (GPS, circuits, myelination, skill versus talent, hotbeds, KIPP school tactics, ignition, etc.). Yet what really stood out to me this time was the graph at the beginning of the Epilogue that showed ignition to deep practice and deep practice to skill (talent). What I love is how long the ignition is and how  grandiose the deep practice bubble/ball is. It takes a lot of healthy, supportive ignition over a long time to actually arrive at the point of deep practice.


When I was younger, I really struggled through math. My parents were fairly good at math but they had also reached the conclusion that perhaps I just wouldn’t be. They didn’t mean it in a harsh way, in fact, they meant it in a highly supportive way. Yet, this hindered my ability to progress rapidly in math until I reached high school and decided to take an honors math class where I was retrained that I wasn’t “bad at math”, I just needed to put in a little more practice to build it up to a strength. It took about two years before I was actually really good and could deep practice in it, but this experience coupled with Coyle’s book really taught me more about the kind of teacher I want to be.


Throughout the entire reading, I thought it would be an immediate leap to deep practice, but I have considered it and that is kind of absurd. MOST students will not come to you with an innate love of music and even less will come to you with the disciplined desire to practice well and make mistakes in order to learn. This process, much like my math experience will become a retraining experience but if we guide them correctly, we can help them become motivated musicians, not just students who should practice. In Chapter 10, Coyle mentions Martinez’ words regarding coaching. He says, “My greatest challenge is not teaching Tom Brady but some guy who can’t do it all, and getting them to a point where they can. Now that is coaching.” I hope I can take each person I teach and as a coach make them somebody and even more importantly, as a coach, make them FEEL like a somebody.

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